Monday, January 18, 2016

We have three amazing new releases to give away this week, including Jennifer Longo's UP TO THIS POINTE, Shaun David Hutchinson's WE ARE THE ANTS, and Laura J Burns and Melinda Metz's SANCTUARY BAY. Check out the other new releases below, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK

Up to This Pointeby Jennifer LongoSigned Hardcover Giveaway U.S. OnlyRandom House Books for Young ReadersReleased 1/19/2016

A refreshingly original contemporary YA, unlike anything readers have seen before. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, John Corey Whaley, and Libba Bray.

She had a plan. It went south.

Harper is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal: becoming professional ballerinas. And Harper won’t let anything—or anyone—get in the way of The Plan, not even the boy she and Kate are both drawn to.

Harper is a Scott. She’s related to Robert Falcon Scott, the explorer who died racing to the South Pole. So when Harper’s life takes an unexpected turn, she finagles (read: lies) her way to the icy dark of McMurdo Station . . . in Antarctica. Extreme, but somehow fitting—apparently she has always been in the dark, dancing on ice this whole time. And no one warned her. Not her family, not her best friend, not even the boy who has somehow found a way into her heart.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Up to This Pointe?

I love this question. Because while sometimes it’s hard to parse out one favorite aspect of a novel, UP TO THIS POINTE gives me a simple answer: I love that it is a story woven of three seemingly disparate things I love most in this world that, as the story unfolds, reveal themselves to be inextricably thematically bound: Ballet, the city of San Francisco, and the early exploration of Antarctica. To me, all three embody resilience and brutal beauty not to be conquered, but loved in perfect submission and acceptance. (Meaning take them or leave them, because they’re not changing for any human – it is the human who will change for loving that city, that art form, that continent.) By extension I can say also that my very favorite thing about this book is how fortunate I am have an agent and an editor who, when presented with the story, simply said “Ballet and Antarctica? Okay, show me how it works.” These are two women who are determined to make unique books, and I think their willingness to say 'yes' to a challenge instead of treading only in safe waters is a gift to their writers and, most importantly, to readers.

We Are the Antsby Shaun David HutchinsonHardcover Giveaway U.S. OnlySimon PulseReleased 1/19/2016

Henry Denton doesn’t know why the aliens chose to abduct him when he was thirteen, and he doesn’t know why they continue to steal him from his bed and take him aboard their ship. He doesn’t know why the world is going to end or why the aliens have offered him the opportunity to avert the impending disaster by pressing a big red button.

But they have. And they’ve only given him 144 days to make up his mind.

Since the suicide of his boyfriend, Jesse, Henry has been adrift. He’s become estranged from his best friend, started hooking up with his sworn enemy, and his family is oblivious to everything that’s going on around them. As far as Henry is concerned, a world without Jesse is a world he isn’t sure is worth saving. Until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t given him a button for that.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about We Are the Ants?

There are so many things I love about WE ARE THE ANTS. The relationship between Henry and his mom, the end of the world scenarios peppered throughout the book, Henry’s dark humor, the sluggers, Diego (who is probably my favorite love interest I’ve ever written), Diego’s art. But the thing I think I love most about WE ARE THE ANTS is the science. Henry is a scientist to his core, and he views everything in his life through that lens. I made a huge effort to portray the science in the book accurately (and any mistakes are definitely my own), though Henry does make some dubious leaps, like trying to figure out the gravitational force between two people making out, but science is in the DNA of this book. I loved contrasting the hard lines of science against the blurry, absurdist lines of Henry’s philosophical journey. Science is what keeps him grounded.

I went so overboard on the science with this book. Though I ended up cutting it, I even invented a base-12 counting system based on geometrical patterns used by the aliens in the book. The only remnant of that system is the number of days Henry has to press the button (144, which is the square of 12). But in the end, all that science is still my favorite because I think Henry might have crumbled without its solidity. As the hero of Andy Weir’s awesome book THE MARTIAN, Mark Watney, might have said: I scienced the shit out of this book.

In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end?

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country--Sanctuary Bay Academy--it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.

In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS LAST WEEK: WINNERS

MORE YOUNG ADULT FICTION IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Burnby Elissa SussmanHardcoverGreenwillow BooksReleased 1/19/2016

After helping to rescue Princess Aislynn, Elanor has finally rejoined the rebel camp she calls home. Stolen from her parents at a young age and forced into service by the Wicked Queen, Elanor now wants nothing more than to see the queen removed from power. But Elanor has secrets, mistakes she’s spent years trying to forget, and the closer the rebels get to the throne, the harder it is for Elanor to keep her past hidden away.

With fellow rebels on her side—including Princess Aislynn, Thackery, and the handsome and mysterious Matthias—it is time for Elanor to make a decision. Will she protect her secrets? Or risk everything to save the people she loves?

The thrilling companion to Elissa Sussman’s masterful and original fairy tale, Stray, that will appeal to readers of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and fans of Wicked, Into the Woods, and the Disney princess movies.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Burn?

My favorite thing about BURN was that it gave me a chance to explore a new character and a new aspect of the world that was introduced in STRAY. And even though BURN is Elanor's story, Aislynn features prominently and it was really fun to see how she adjusts to a culture that is so different from hers and has a completely separate view of magic.

The heart-racing and thrilling sequel to The Ward about a teenage female drag racer who will do anything to save her sister—and a flooded futuristic Manhattan.

Drought season is coming....

The Ward is in trouble—its streets filled with seawater after a devastating flood and its impoverished inhabitants suffering from a deadly disease called the Blight.

Ren, with the help of her scientist friend, Callum, and her racing buddy, Derek, has discovered a cure—miraculous spring water—administering it to her sick sister, Aven. But when Aven is kidnapped by Governor Voss, the malevolent dictator of the United Metro Isles (UMI), Ren must go on a dangerous mission to save her sister, again.

The mysterious healing water is the only source of freshwater throughout the entire UMI—water that Ren had been tasked by the government to discover. Although she refuses to give up the water’s location, Governor Voss has his own selfish reasons for wanting it. And he will do anything to satisfy his thirst for unquenchable power.

But Ren and Aven have more enemies than the governor. An ancient order, the Tètai, has been guarding the magical water for hundreds of years. And they will kill to protect it. With the Ward in desperate need of freshwater and wracked by disease—and deadly enemies at every turn—the sisters face a dangerous journey, marred by mysterious secrets and horrifying truths, to save their friends and neighbors, and a city.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Isle?

Oh goodness. I'm not sure I know how to answer this! I love the end...it was very satisfying pulling all those threads together and realizing that, while I sort of knew how it would come together, the way it came together was very unexpected. And also obvious? Both? I also love Aven. Aven may be my favorite thing about THE ISLE. (Can she be my favorite thing if she's a person?)

MORE YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES NEXT WEEK

In a future London, Concentr8 is a prescription drug intended to help kids with ADD. Soon every troubled teen is on it. It makes sense, doesn't it? Keep the undesirable elements in line. Keep people like us safe from people like them. What's good for society is good for everyone.

Troy, Femi, Lee, Karen and Blaze have been taking Concentr8 as long as they can remember. They're not exactly a gang, but Blaze is their leader, and Troy has always been his quiet, watchful sidekick - the only one Blaze really trusts. They're not looking for trouble, but one hot summer day, when riots break out across the city, they find it. What makes five kids pick a man seemingly at random - a nobody, he works in the housing department, doesn't even have a good phone - hold a knife to his side, take him to a warehouse and chain him to a radiator? They've got a hostage, but don't really know what they want, or why they've done it.

Across the course of five tense days, with a journalist, a floppy-haired mayor, a police negotiator, and the sinister face of the pharmaceutical industry, they - and we - begin to understand why. Gripping and controversial reading for fans of Malorie Blackman and Patrick Ness.

A pacy pageturner that asks: Can you be held responsible now for something you did in a previous life?

Fifteen-year-old Ana has a good life--she has friends and a boy she likes and a kind mother--but still, she's haunted by her past; she knows that she lived once before as a girl named Emma, and she still misses her old family. When, by chance in her life now, Ana meets a woman she knew in her previous life, a terrifying memory flashes through her mind of a young girl drowning. Was Emma responsible? And should Ana pay the price? Consumed by guilt, Ana sets out to find out as much as possible about the person she was before and what she had done, only to discover that the family she misses so deeply had dark secrets of its own. To come to terms with her life now, Ana must figure out how to let go of the past.

Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.

Raisa was just a child when she was sold to work as a slave in the kingdom of Qilara. Despite her young age, her father was teaching her to read and write, grooming her to take his place as a Learned One. In Qilara, the Arnathim, like Raisa, are the lowest class, and literacy is a capital offense. What’s more, only the king, prince, tutor, and tutor-in-training are allowed to learn the very highest order language, the language of the gods. So when the tutor-in-training is executed for teaching slaves this sacred language, and Raisa is selected to replace her, Raisa knows any slipup on her part could mean death.

Keeping her secret is hard enough, but the romance that’s been growing between her and Prince Mati isn’t helping matters. Then Raisa is approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slave rebels—to help liberate Arnath slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would mean aiding a war against Mati. As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the Qilarites have been hiding for centuries—one that, if uncovered, could bring the kingdom to its knees.

This second book in the Prey trilogy is a harrowing story of survival as Book and Hope travel back to the eerie Camp Liberty, where Book was once raised to be hunted for sport, to save those left behind. With new twists, new turns, and a new love triangle, The Capture is a gripping adventure for fans of The Maze Runner.

Every night it was the same: dreaming of those Less Thans shackled in the bunker beneath the tennis court. I couldn’t let it go. As bad as the memory was, my dreams only made it worse....

It was why we had to get back to Camp Liberty. Why we had to free those Less Thans.

Book, Hope, and Cat cannot live with themselves—they cannot settle into a new free life knowing the rest of their fellow Less Thans and Sisters are still imprisoned. Now the teens must retrace their steps to save the others, destroy the compound, and thwart the evil plans of the Republic.

With new enemies lurking—deranged Crazies and ominous Skull People among them—the group must put their fate in the hands of unexpected allies, including the woman with the long black hair and Miranda, the daughter of the Skull People’s Chief Justice, who is drawn to Book. Both may come to their aid, but at what cost? As the teens race toward Camp Liberty, they must ask themselves what they’re willing to do to free their friends, for the path back is filled with even more danger as motives are questioned and relationships tested.

The Radiant Roadby Katherine CatmullHardcoverDutton Books for Young ReadersReleased 1/19/2016

And sometimes the Strange came to visit Clare, and dreams walked through her waking life.

After years of living in America, Clare Macleod and her father are returning to Ireland, where they’ll inhabit the house Clare was born in—a house built into a green hillside with a tree for a wall. For Clare, the house is not only full of memories of her mother, but also of a mysterious boy with raven-dark hair and dreamlike nights filled with stars and magic. Clare soon discovers that the boy is as real as the fairy-making magic, and that they’re both in great danger from an ancient foe.

Fast-paced adventure and spellbinding prose combine to weave a tale of love, loyalty, and the strength we carry within ourselves.

Will to Surviveby Eric WaltersHardcoverFarrar, Straus and GirouxReleased 1/19/2016

As this apocalyptic trilogy hurtles to a chilling conclusion, Adam is pushed to the edge of his endurance and sanity.

Adam has killed again. It had to be done, part of him knows that, but murder changes a person. It can certainly change a teenager who's already grown up too quickly, too harshly, in the wake of the catastrophic global blackout five months ago. In the name of safety and survival, Adam and his neighbors have turned their middle American suburban neighborhood into a fortress, defending against countless enemies. But what's lurking in the dark is a greater danger than ever before: somebody who wants to destroy the neighborhood and Adam at any cost. Soon, the hunted will have to become the hunter . . . and Adam hates himself for what he will have to do. Because sometimes even the dark is not cover enough for things that would never happen in the light.

Up to This Pointe and We Are the Ants are two of my most anticipated books of the month! I have been hearing so, so many good things about them. And all the other books coming out this week are quite exciting too- Sword & Verse, Shade Me, Sanctuary Bay... GREAT bookish week, thanks so much for the chance!

I've been looking forward to the release of We Are the Ants for a couple of months -- it's a must-read for me. The other two novels up for grabs this week also inspire my unambivalent interest. They sound like the kind of books I am sure to enjoy, regardless of what flaws in execution of the concept come up in the actual text. Thanks for the latest, greatest reads in YA! Cheers, Kara S

ALL of these books sound amazing, not just the three you're giving away! But oh boy, I am DYING to get my hands on WE ARE THE ANTS! I am currently reading VIOLENT ENDS, and just so happen to be on Shaun David Hutchinson's chapter, and I'm absolutely loving his writing. (The entire book is simply amazing, and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet read it!) I am so excited to read a full-length novel by him! I've also had my eye on SANCTUARY BAY, which sounds perfectly creepy! I don't know much about the third book, but really, it's hard to go wrong with any YA these days! There are some incredibly talented people writing and I am blessed to be a fan in what feels like the golden age of YA. Thanks for the chance to win!

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